The bill: specifies actions the minister must take when a dental practitioner who has provided a dental service and claimed a Medicare benefit payment is required to repay the benefit because certain administrative processes have not been undertaken; and requires the minister to table a report in Parliament detailing the actions taken. Also amends the Health Insurance (Dental Services) Determination 2007 to allow for circumstances where a Medicare benefit can be paid where a written quotation was not provided prior to dental treatment.

to: provide that the minister retains the power to decide an application for approval as a higher education provider although the required timeframe may have expired; require VET providers to notify the minister in writing of events which may affect their ability to comply with quality and accountability requirements; provide for the authorisation of certain uses and disclosures of information; allow the secretary to revoke or vary any determination made to pay an advance to a VET provider in certain circumstances; clarify that a VET provider must provide statistical and other information although an approved form of provision has not been specified; and make administrative arrangements relating to the assessment of an individual’s higher education loan program debt.

to make administrative changes to the FEE-HELP and VET FEE-HELP programs by: requiring the minister to be satisfied that a body corporate is ‘fit and proper’; providing flexibility in the ‘principal purpose’ requirements; enabling the minister to give qualified approvals; providing for procedural fairness before a provider’s approval is suspended; and including new decisions which are subject to review.

to: increase the maximum number of members of Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee; provide for payment and/or waiver of recovery of 90 per cent of the value of pharmaceutical benefits supplied from an unapproved relocated pharmacy where the pharmacist has subsequently obtained approval; allow an agent to make and sign an application for a pharmaceutical benefits scheme (PBS) safety net concession or entitlement card; provide that certain ministerial determinations apply to the supply of pharmaceutical benefits by hospitals in the same way as they do to supply by pharmacies; clarify the decision-maker’s discretion to cancel approvals to supply pharmaceutical benefits; and allow a medical services provider to send claims directly to the Health Insurance Commission;

Health Insurance Act 1973

,

Health Insurance Commission Act 1973

,

National Health Act 1953

and

Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986

to provide that special supply arrangements can be used for the funding particular medicines not available through the PBS;

Health Insurance Act 1973

to restore specialist recognition status for certain specialists; and ensure that overseas trained doctors do not receive Medicare benefits for assisting at operations unless they have an exemption or have committed themselves to providing services in districts of workforce shortage; and

to clarify the circumstances under which medicare and residential care benefits paid to compensation claimants can be recovered; and

Health Insurance Act 1973

to expand the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register to include previous foreign immunisation of children where these are notified to the Health Insurance Commission by recognised immunisation providers or prescribed bodies; and update certain definitions. Also makes consequential amendments to the

in relation to the obligations of registered organisations; and to remove the rule change assessment process which requires registered health benefits organisations to submit all rule changes for government approval and replace it with a system of monitoring and compliance; and

National Health Act 1953

to: increase the powers of the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman (PHIO) to investigate complaints and resolve disputes; provide for an annual “state of the health funds” report by the PHIO; and make amendments to the lifetime health cover provisions.